Airport parking fees can be a big expense if you are planning to be away from home for an extended period of time. If you’ve gone to all the trouble of booking a cheap airfare, you don’t want your savings to be eaten up by your car parking fees!

Catching a bus to the airport or taking a taxi might initially sound like a good option but in today’s competitive market it does pay to compare airport parking. Buses are a great option if you are just one person travelling alone and if your flight leaves at a reasonable time during the day. With a day time or early evening flight you have plenty of time to get yourself to the airport without panicking about missing the plane. Of course depending on where you live catching the bus might involve catching multiple buses and could quickly take up half your day in public transport. And if you have more than one person in your party, bus fares can quickly add up to the same price as a taxi anyway. For flights leaving at odd hours, a taxi is usually a better option than a bus or organising accommodation close by to the airport. Both of these options add a fair amount of expense to your trip so you should consider carefully which is the best for you.

Once you factor in a taxi and bus fares to and from the airport, not to mention the hassle, it might be much better value for you to stick with the airport parking. With today’s competitive market, long term airport parking has become a lot more affordable than it used to be. In fact when I did a recent search I was pleasantly surprised. Seven days of parking was actually cheaper than a return taxi fare.

If you are flying out of the UK you have several options to help you save money on your airport parking.

Book as far ahead as possible. Bookings of 30 days or more normally have the biggest discounts though they can be inflexible if you need to change the dates.If you do decide you want to stay close by the night before your flight, you can save on parking at Bristol Airport by booking your hotel and your parking together.

Book the correct duration for your trip. Generally the longer you stay the cheaper it will be. Make sure you book the right amount of days and don’t need to tack time onto the end at a later date – this will be much more expensive.

Choose parking that is off-airport rather than on. You may have to spend a short journey on the shuttle bus but you will save around a quarter if you opt for this service.

Fly out of an airport you wouldn’t normally choose. Secondary airports not only offer cheaper flights, they also offer better deals on parking. Luton parking offers a meet and greet service where a driver meets you at the airport and parks your car for you. When you return they meet you with your car, saving you the time of getting yourself to the car park to pick up your vehicle.

Airport transfers aren’t that complicated and don’t have to cost the earth. As soon as you have booked your airfare and are sure of your dates, jump online and start checking your options for airport parking fees. The more prepared you are, the less it will cost you in the long run.